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The chairwoman of the Kansas State Board of Education won’t seek re-election.

Speaking Monday, Jana Shaver, an Independence Republican who has served on the state board since 2007, said she decided against seeking another term for personal reasons, not political.

“I just felt like it was time to move on to the next chapter in my life,” Shaver said, “and I wanted to have time to spend with my family and time to travel.”

Two Republicans filed for her district ahead of Monday’s noon deadline to vie in this year’s elections: Martin Burke and Jim Porter. No Democrats threw their hats in the ring.

Shaver said she had encouraged Porter, superintendent of Fredonia Unified School District 484, to run. She said she isn’t familiar with Porter’s opponent, Burke, a biology teacher at Galena High School.

“I need to do some research on that,” she said.

Five of the 10 seats on the state’s education board are up for election this year. The board sets standards and regulations for school matters ranging from teacher licensure to curriculum standards and the design of the state’s mathematics and reading tests. It also appoints the education commissioner. It doesn’t, however, determine funding for public schools.

Last year and this year, the board has faced tension with the Legislature over which elected body should control certain matters, particularly the state’s mathematics and English standards, part of a multistate initiative called the Common Core. The standards, adopted by the state board in 2010, have come under fire from conservative lawmakers. Some members of the state board, meanwhile, have expressed concern about the Legislature’s new innovative school districts program, which could waive many state laws and regulations for a limited number of districts.

Shaver, chairwoman since last year, has made clear her position that the state constitution charges the board with governing such matters. Her district covers 19 southeast Kansas counties.

Meanwhile, Sally Cauble, vice chairwoman of the state board, will seek another term. The Dodge City Republican represents about 40 western Kansas counties and has served on the state board since 2007. She faces a challenge from Republican Meg Wilson, principal of Hoisington High School.

Ken Willard and John Bacon, two Republicans with strong conservative chops, will run unopposed. Willard, of Hutchinson, has served on the board since 2003 and represents constituents in a dozen central Kansas counties. Bacon, of Olathe, has served since 1999 and represents parts of Johnson and Miami counties. He and Janet Waugh, one of just two Democrats on the state board, are the board’s longest-serving members.

Waugh, of Kansas City, Kan., is also seeking re-election, and faces a challenge from Republican Nancy Klemp to represent Leavenworth, Wyandotte and part of Douglas county. The Leavenworth USD 453 website indicates Klemp is a member of that district’s school board.

Topeka’s representative on the board — Democrat Carolyn Campbell — was elected to a second term in 2012. Her seat, along with the seats of Republicans Jim McNiece, Steve Roberts, Kathy Busch and Deena Horst, will next come up for election in 2016.

Three of the four aspiring state board members in this year’s races are current public school employees: Porter, Wilson and Burke.

Porter, superintendent in Fredonia for 12 years and previously a superintendent, principal and teacher in Missouri, said he plans to retire at the end of next school year.

He said he hoped to continue Shaver’s advocacy for public schools, since she had decided not to seek another term.

“Jana, in my view, has done an outstanding job,” he said. “I wanted to follow in her footsteps.”

Wilson said she has experience teaching in and administering elementary and secondary schools, and helped write Kansas’ standards for character education and social-emotional development in schools.

She said she hoped to bring that to the state board, while modeling for her students the importance of leadership.

“This is a really good time for me to utilize my current experiences,” she said, “and go to bat for what’s best for our students.”